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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 
BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

HUGH M. SMITH, Cooxaiuriotxi 



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THE MUSSEL FAUNA OF CENTRAL AND 
NORTHERN MINNESOTA 

By Charles B. Wilson and Ernest Danglade 



APPENDIX V TO THE REPORT OF THE U. S. COMMISSIONER 
OF FISHERIES FOR 1913 




Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 803 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

19X4 



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 
BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

HUGH M. SMITH, Commissioner 



THE MUSSEL FAUNA OF CENTRAL AND 
NORTHERN MINNESOTA 

By Charles B. Wilson and Ernest Danglade 



APPENDIX V TO THE REPORT OF THE U. S. COMMISSIONER 
OF FISHERIES FOR 1913 




Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 803 



WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1914 



.UsV\le 



01 
SEP 2} 1914 



THE MUSSEL FAUNA OF CENTRAL AND 
NORTHERN MINNESOTA 



By Charles B. Wilson and Ernest Danglade 



Appendix V to the Report of the U. S. Commissioner 
of Fisheries for 1913 






Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/musselfaunaofcenOOwils 



CONTENTS 



Introduction 5 

Glacial origin of lakes and rivers 6 

Mussels of the St. Croix group 8 

Mussels of the Minnesota River group 11 

Mussels of the Red River group 11 

Mussels of the Crow Wing group 14 

Mussels of the Mississippi group 17 

Mussels of the isolated lakes 20 

Summary 25 

3 



THE MUSSEL FAUNA OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 



By Charles B. Wilson and Ernest Danglade. 



INTRODUCTION. 



As a part of the fresh-water mussel investigations conducted by 
the Bureau of Fisheries, the central and northern portions of Minne- 
sota were examined during the summer of 1912 with regard to the 
kinds and numbers of mussels to be found in the lakes and rivers. 
The mussel fauna of the Mississippi River in Minnesota below St. 
Paul and of the Minnesota River have been thoroughly investigated 
by representatives of the various pearl-button companies, and the 
quality and amount of shells which they produce have become fairly 
well known. The central and northern portions of the State had never 
been examined except by mussel fishermen. The shells obtained 
by some of these fishermen, however, and shipped to the button 
factories were of such exceptional quality as to attract the attention 
not only of the manufacturers but also of the Government experts 
at the biological laboratory at Fairport, Iowa. Since some of these 
shells were obtained from lakes and others from rivers, it was deter- 
mined to make a preliminary survey of both lakes and rivers through 
the central and northern portions of the State. 

This survey had a threefold object: First, to determine the geo- 
graphic distribution of the various mussels in those portions of the 
State. Incidentally, of course, this would answer the question whether 
the exceptionally fine shells were locally or generally distributed, 
and where they were to be found. 

Second, to make as careful a survey as possible of the various 
conditions, conducive or adverse to mussel development, in the differ- 
ent localities visited. This would not only throw some light on the 
presence of exceptional mussels in certain localities, but would also 
serve as a basis for the final object of the survey. 

Third, to ascertain whether it would be profitable to introduce 
artificial propagation in any of the lakes or rivers, and if so, what 
species would be best adapted to the locality. 

The investigating party consisted of the two authors, and in conse- 
quence of the large territory to be covered and the isolation of many 
of the localities visited it was necessary to travel entirely by rail- 

5 
46870°— 14 2 



6 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NOETHEEN MINNESOTA. 

road, stopping at convenient centers and driving to the lake or river. 
Dining this trip 45 lakes and 15 rivers were examined, with the re- 
sults as herein given. 

Samples of the shells obtained by the authors at the different lo- 
calities herein mentioned have been identified by Mr. H. Walton 
Clark, of the biological station at Fairport, Iowa. Similar samples 
have been tested as to their mercantile value by Mr. John Southall, 
of the same station. 

In order to understand the geographic distribution of the mussels, 

it is necessary to review so much of the glacial geology as will explain 

the present location of the lakes and rivers as well as their former 

relations. 

GLACIAL ORIGIN OF LAKES AND RIVERS. 

Minnesota was formerly covered by a great glacier or ice sheet, 
which came down from the northeast and flowed across the State 
into Iowa. When the glacier melted, the gravel, sand, and clay 
winch it carried was spread out over the surface of the underlying 
rocks and has remained there ever since. The only exception is a 
narrow strip bordering the Mississippi River from Lake Pepin south- 
ward, and thus outside of the present survey. North of Lake Superior 
tins drift, as it is called, is thin in places, but elsewhere it averages 
from 100 to 150 feet in thickness and effectually conceals the bedrock. 

Both glacier and drift have made the contour of the State more 
level and uniform than it was before. The glacier accomplished this 
by grinding off the ridges and elevations, while the drift assisted by 
filling in such hollows as were left by the glacier. In some places 
the material of the drift has been subsequently worked over and 
arranged in layers by the streams and rivers that flowed from beneath 
the glacier, but in most places it is still unstratified. During the 
melting of this great glacier there were successive periods of advanc- 
ing, halting, and retreating, and at such times the drift accumulated 
in long hills or ridges called moraines, parallel with the edge of the 
glacier. Twelve of these moraines may be traced across the State 
in various directions, and while they are only from 25 to 75 feet in 
height, they are still sufficient to determine the general drainage 
of the State. They have the further effect of rendering any free 
drainage impossible, and thus they give rise to the remarkable number 
of lakes that are found in Douglas, Ottertail, Itasca, and other coun- 
ties. Furthermore, the streams and rivers are very winding, and have 
a uniform current, and there are plenty of sand and gravel beds in 
the bottom of the lakes and rivers, and not very much mud. All 
these conditions are favorable for mussel growth and propagation 
and profoundly influence the mussel fauna. 

When the melting ice sheet had receded beyond the moraine or 
watershed which separated the basin of the Minnesota River from 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 7 

that of the Red River of the North, a large lake, called Lake Agassiz, 
was formed along the edge of the ice. As the ice withdrew, this lake 
extended northward along the Red River Valley as far as what is 
now Lake Winnipeg. Lake Agassiz was 700 miles long and covered 
110,000 square miles, and its duration is estimated to have been 
about a thousand years. Its outlet, known as the glacial river 
Warren, was along the valley now occupied by Lakes Traverse and 
Big Stone and the Minnesota River, into the Mississippi. At that 
period, therefore, the Mississippi River may be said to have had its 
origin in Lake Agassiz. And during the thousand years of its 
existence, this lake had abundant opportunity to become populated 
with fresh-water mussels ascending from the Mississippi. The lake 
disappeared, however, and the valley of the Minnesota River sepa- 
rated from that of the Red River. But the mussel faunas of the two 
rivers were derived from identically the same source, and the only 
differences would be the few minor changes that have crept in since 
then. 

Many other glacial lakes were formed during the melting of the 
ice sheet, only to be subsequently obliterated. But while they 
existed they served as temporary channels for the migration of fish 
and mussels from the south. Two of these are of especial interest, in 
view of the results of our present investigation. Lake Upham once 
covered the region south of the Mesabi Iron Range, and drained 
southeast along the valley now occupied by the St. Louis and Cloquet 
Rivers. This lake was very shallow and temporary and, as far as 
can be determined, was not connected with the Mississippi River in 
any way. This fact accounts for the paucity of mussels in that 
portion of the State, as well as in all the Lake Superior drainage. 

Lake Nicollet was formed around the headwaters of the Mississippi 
River and covered an area of 1,500 square miles. It drained south- 
west into the valley now occupied by the Crow Wing River and 
thence into the Mississippi. The Crow Wing River thus becomes the 
modern representative of the old headwaters of the Mississippi, and 
is older than that portion of the latter river which now extends from 
the mouth of the Crow Wing up to Lake Itasca. These facts explain 
the richness of the mussel fauna in the Crow Wing and its tributaries. 
At two places in the area covered by the present survey the bed rocks 
appear above the drift with sufficient prominence to materially affect 
the mussel distribution. At Carlton the St. Louis River plunges 
over a rocky ledge and through a gorge, which prevents the passage 
of either fish or mussels. Consequently that portion of the Lake 
Superior drainage which is tributary to the St. Louis River above 
Carlton is devoid of mussels. 



8 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 



The Falls of St. Anthony at Minneapolis have formed a similar 
barrier in the Mississippi River, but with this difference: Some fish 
have evidently been able to ascend these falls while others could not 
accomplish it. Accordingly, we find in the Mississippi above the falls, 
and in its tributaries an abundance of mussels belonging to the 
Lampsilis or mucket group, plenty of Anodonta, Symphynota, Stro- 
phitus, and the like, but not a solitary specimen was seen of the great 
Quadrula or pig-toe group. The falls have manifestly furnished in 
some way an effective barrier to the distribution of these mussels. 
On the other hand, the Minnesota River enters the Mississippi some 
distance below the falls, and it contains as many pig-toes as muckets. 

The pig-toes also ascended the glacial river Warren into Lake Agassiz, 
and we find them to-day in the Red River of the North. They also 
ascended the St. Croix River, and in the St. Croix drainage they are 
even more numerous in species than the muckets. 

For convenience we may divide the lakes and rivers which were 
examined into five groups, and designate them, respectively, the 
St. Croix group, the Minnesota River group, the Red River group, 
the Crow Wing group, the Mississippi River group, and the isolated 
lakes. 

MUSSELS OF THE ST. CROIX GROUP. 

The lakes and rivers in this eastern central portion of Minnesota 
have been populated with mussels by way of the St. Croix River. 
This connection was established after the melting of the glacier and 
has not been materially changed since that period. 

Joining the Mississippi some distance below St. Paul, and having 
no falls or other natural obstruction in its own course, the St. Croix 
River has afforded a constant and easy passage for all the Mississippi 
species of fish and mussels. Hence we find a goodly variety of both 
in the lakes and rivers belonging to the St. Croix drainage. The 
following table gives the geographic distribution of the various 
mussels found here during the present survey: 

Distribution of Mussels in St. Croix Drainage. 



Species. 


Pokee- 
ama 
Lake. 


Snake 
River. 


Cross 
Lake. 


Rush 
Lake. 


Bald 
Eagle 
Lake. 


White 
Bear 
Lake. 


Forest 
Lake. 


Lampsilis luteola (fat mucket) 


X 
X 


X 
X 
X 
X 


X 
X 
X 
X 
X 








X 












Lampsilis recta (black sand-shell) 










Lampsilis alata (pink heel-splitter) 


























X 
X 
X 














X 
X 

X 
X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 








X 
X 
X 












X 
X 
X 











































MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 9 

No comment upon the fauna of the last four lakes is needed save 
the single statement that the muckets in Forest Lake are all dwarfed 
and thin-shelled. The other two lakes and Snake River are parts of 
the same system, for the river flows through the entire length of 
Pokegama Lake and across Cross Lake nearly at its center. Both of 
the lakes and the river are shallow, and consequently the mussels are 
gathered with a rake or by wading. No crowfoot dredges were seen. 

QUALITY OF SHELLS. 

The principal mussel here is the fat mucket, which is not dwarfed, 
as is usual in a lake, but retains its full size. Furthermore, the shell 
is exceptionally thick and heavy, and maintains this thickness to the 
extreme tips, making every portion of it available for buttons. The 
shells have a fine luster, show no discoloration, and will cut from 700 
to 720 gross of blanks (20-line) to the ton. In Pokegama Lake these 
muckets form 75 to 85 per cent of the entire catch; in the Snake 
River between the two lakes, 60 per cent, and in Cross Lake from 40 
to 50 per cent. 

Qf the other shells, the maple-leaves and blue-points are also ex- 
ceptionally thick, of large size, unspotted, and in every way first-grade 
button shells. The three-ridges, on the contrary, are badly spotted, 
have a poor luster and are only second or third quality. The culls 
are nearly all heel-splitters and Anodontas. In Cross Lake the 
bottom is sandy next to the shore, and then becomes covered with 
mud, while in Pokegama Lake it is hard sand throughout. Hence 
there are more three-ridges, black sand-shells, blue-points, and 
floaters in Cross Lake, and the shells are not quite as thick as those 
in Pokegama Lake. 

At the time these lakes were examined (July) there were fully two 
carloads of shells scattered along the shores of Cross Lake on the west 
side, and as many more at the upper end of Pokegama Lake, gathered 
within a space of 400 or 500 feet. The fishermen said they had been 
offered $23.50 per ton for these Pokegama shells. 

PEARLS. 

The best pearl found in this vicinity was obtained from a fat 
mucket in Cross Lake several years ago, and was held for some time 
at $4,000. The price then gradually dropped to $3,000, and it was 
finally sold for $2,300. Of those found in 1912 one brought $1,800, 
another $1,200, a third $900, two were sold for $500 each, and six or 
eight reached $100 or over. In consequence of these exceptional 
finds everyone in the neighborhood caught the pearl fever, and they 
were all — men, women, and children — fishing for pearls at the time of 
our visit, the mucket being the favorite shell for them. But they 



10 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

showed far more wisdom than is common under such circumstances, 
for even the children had sense enough to save the valuable shells 
and turn them over to a local blank factory situated on the shore of 
Cross Lake in Pine City. At that time this factory was running 
entirely on such small job lots, which could be obtained at a con- 
siderable reduction in price. 

PROPAGATION. 

Some of the mussel fishermen claimed that this locality was 
practically worked out, and in consequence they had left and gone 
to Rice Lake. But all of those who remained told us that they 
had no difficulty in gathering 500 or 600 pounds a day. The supply, 
however, is not inexhaustible, and unless measures are taken to 
replenish the more valuable species they will soon be gone. 

Everything combines to make this an ideal location for such 
artificial propagation. Pine City, the county seat of Pine County, 
is conveniently reached by the Northern Pacific Railroad, 60 miles 
from St. Paul. It is located on the shores of Cross Lake and along 
the banks of Snake River, and the waterway is unobstructed up the 
river into Pokegama Lake. Hence propagation at a single point 
would supply both of the lakes and the river. And there is an 
abundance of the right kind of fish to serve as hosts for the glochidia. 

RECOMMENDATIONS . 

1. The muckets and the maple-leaves that are found here are 
exceptionally fine shells, and in some way the local conditions are 
peculiarly suited to their development. They should be locally 
propagated, therefore, in sufficient numbers to keep up the supply. 
In all probability they will yield better returns than any other species 
that could be introduced. 

2. A careful study of these mussels and of the local conditions 
should be undertaken in order to determine, if possible, what it is in 
the way of lime, food, or other things that renders these shells so 
exceptionally fine. 

3. With a good local supply of these remarkable shells and a 
working knowledge of the conditions under which they flourish, 
it would be a simple matter to introduce them into other localities 
having a similar happy combination of river and lake. Among such 
possible localities may be mentioned Rice and Koronis Lakes near 
Paynesville in Stearns County, Clearwater Lake near Annandale in 
Wright County, Lost and West Lost Lakes near Fergus Falls, and 
Pine and Little Pine Lakes near Perham in Ottertail County. 

4. A small local factory may often render efficient service by 
saving the odd lots of shells that are just as good in quality as any of 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 11 

the others and perhaps even better, but are not sufficient in quantity 
to warrant shipping them for any distance. Such factories deserve 
the encouragement of both fishermen and manufacturers. 

MUSSELS OF THE MINNESOTA RIVER GROUP. 

As has been already stated, the Minnesota River and its tributaries 
have been pretty thoroughly worked up by representatives of the 
button factories. Like the St. Croix, this river empties into the 
Mississippi below the Falls of St. Anthony, and so affords a free 
passage for all kinds of fish and mussels. Furthermore, it formed a 
part of the glacial River Warren, which was the outlet of Lake Agassiz, 
and thus there has been no break in its connection with the 
Mississippi. 

The present investigation did not include the river itself, but only 
some of the lakes in Douglas County that eventually drain into it by 
way of the Chippewa River. 

Within a radius of 6 miles from Alexandria, the county seat of 
Douglas County, there are 20 small lakes, several of which have 
become quite noted summer resorts. 

Lakes Agnes, Henry, and Winona are close to the railroad station, 
small, shallow, and filled with water plants. The only mussels found 
in them were dwarfed and thin-shelled muckets (L. luteola), whose 
epidermis was highly polished and somewhat marly and whose 
nacre was a beautiful smoky brown. 

Four miles north of the city there is a group of three larger 
and much deeper lakes, called, respectively, Darling, Carlos, and 
L' Homme Dieu. These lakes are comparatively free from water 
weeds, have sand and gravel bottoms, are very deep, and contain 
plenty of fish, but the only mussels that could be found in them 
were Anodontoides freussacianus modestus and Anodonta pejriniana. 

A similar fauna was reported for the other 14 lakes, so that it does 
not appear as if any of the lakes in Douglas County contained com- 
mercial shells. Nor do any of them present conditions that would 
recommend the introduction of merchantable species by means of 
artificial propagation. 

Some of the isolated lakes in this drainage, however, present 
entirely different conditions. 

MUSSELS OF THE RED RIVER GROUP. 

The lakes and rivers belonging to this group were populated with 
mussels from the Mississippi River by way of the glacial river Warren 
and Lake Agassiz. Since the disappearance of this glacial river and 
lake the Minnesota River drainage and the Red River drainage have 
been separated, and each has acquired peculiarities of its own. 
The Red River turns northward along the western border of the 



12 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 



State and carries its mussel fauna across the line into Canada. It 
therefore becomes of great interest to the conchologist, as well as the 
mussel fisherman, since in it the mussels of the Mississippi Valley 
reach the point farthest north in their migrations. In consequence 
of the long continued glacial connection with the Mississippi, we are 
not surprised to find the rich mussel fauna indicated in the following 
table : 

Distribution op Mussels in Red River Group. 



Species. 



Little 

Pine 

Lake 

outlet. 



Red 
River 
at Per- 
ham. 



Otter- 
tail 
Lake 

outlet. 



West 
Lost 

Lake 
outlet. 



Red 
R iver 
below 
Fergus 
Falls. 



Anodonta pepiniana (paper-shell, floater) . . . 
Anodontoides ferussacianus subcylindraceus. 

Strophitus edentulus (squaw-foot) 

Symphynota costata (fluted-shell) 

Symphynota complanata katharinee 

Lampsilis luteola (fat mucket) 

Lampsilis ventricosa (pocketbook) 

Lampsilis recta (black sand-shell) 

Quadrula coccinea (round pig toe) 

Quadrula rubiginosa (Wabash pig toe) 



The only place in this entire drainage that has ever been worked is 
just north of Fergus Falls, where some of the country boys gathered 
and shipped a carload of shells to the button factories in Iowa in 
1910. All of the lakes and the river are shallow and the shells must 
be gathered with rakes or forks, or picked up by hand; there is no 
chance for crowfoot dredges. 



QUALITY OF SHELLS. 

The mucket, the pocketbook, and the fluted shell are the principal 
commercial mussels in the Red River. The black sand-shell is abun- 
dant and the best shell of them all in quality, but as it always has a 
dark purple nacre it can be used only for novelties. In many of these 
northern sand-shells, the hinge line, instead of being straight {recta), 
is strongly curved. But as it conforms in other particulars to a 
normal recta, it seems best to regard this merely as a local variation. 
The pocketbooks also are peculiar in being much flattened, somewhat 
elongated, and with short and stumpy teeth, very much like the 
variety designated by Lea as TJnio canadensis. Many of the muckets 
have shells as thick and heavy as those of the St. Croix drainage, but 
there are others whose shells are thin and sometimes dwarfed like 
lake specimens. 

The shells of nearly all the mussels which have a white nacre are 
badly stained. These stains vary from a fight-gray or drab to a dark 
rusty brown in color. Sometimes there is but a small discoloration 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 13 

on each valve, at other times the whole interior of the shell is dis- 
colored. The stain usually affects only the interior layer or coat of 
nacre and when this is removed the rest of the shell is perfectly clean 
and uninjured. Such spotting of the shell, of course, injures their 
commercial value and reduces the material to the second or third 
grade. In other respects the shells have a fine luster and good tex- 
ture, and would make excellent button material. 

PEARLS. 

A few pearls and about the usual number of slugs were obtained 
from the carload of shells sent from Fergus Falls. At Little Pine 
Lake we also received reliable information that pearlers had worked 
the Red River above Mud Lake two years before, and that they 
obtained an abundance of mussels, with a fair amount of pearls. 
Further than this there has been no search for them in the Red River. 
If the discoloration noted above is due to some sort of parasite, it 
would very likely affect the pearls and slugs as well as the shells, 
but no data could be obtained. There is no reason other than this 
why the Red River should not be as prolific of pearls as the Mississippi. 

PROPAGATION. 

The conditions at Ottertail Lake are very favorable for the propa- 
gation of certain species of mussels. The lake is 10 miles long by 4 
miles wide, and is remarkably clean and free from weeds. It is sur- 
rounded also with fine sand and gravel beaches and contains many 
large sand bars. The Red River enters at the northeastern corner 
and flows the entire length of the lake. Similar conditions exist at 
Lost, West Lost, Pine, and Little Pine Lakes, but the lakes them- 
selves are much smaller. At little Pine Lake the bottom was nearly 
covered with CJiara and algse, but wherever there was a bare spot 
the mussels were present in large numbers. As these lakes are 
full of just the kind of fish to serve as hosts the conditions are ideal 
for mussel propagation. On the river itself the conditions are less 
favorable. There are several dams in Fergus Falls, and a large 
power dam, 36 feet in height, 4 miles below the city. None of these 
dams are provided with suitable fishways, so that they form an 
effective barrier to the ascent of all fish. 

RECOMMENDATIONS . 

1. Evidently the first thing to be done is to determine the cause 
of the stains which are so abundant. A satisfactory solution of this 
question would be of immense practical value, not merely here in the 
Red River drainage but wherever mussels are found. Different 



14 .MISSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

regions show different degrees of discoloration but stain is present in 
some degree practically everywhere. How to check it, control it, 
and eventually eliminate it become exceedingly important questions. 
This Red River offers ideal opportunities for solving these questions. 

2. Practical and efficient fishways should be provided for every 
dam across a river of the size and importance of the Red River. 
The blocking of the passage of the fish not only hurts the fishing in 
the waters above the dam but seriously affects every industry that 
is at all dependent upon fish. A dam or a natural fall, impassable 
for fish, may mean the entire absence of mussels in the river above. 

3. Until there has been a solution of the cause of the numerous 
stains on the Red River shells and suitable means have been provided 
for the passage of the fish around the dams, there is little to be gained 
either by propagating the mussels already in evidence or by intro- 
ducing new species. 

4. Since the staining is the only character in which these shells are 
not first quality, since quite a percentage of the shells are free from 
stains, and since a goodly proportion (unstained part) of most of the 
stained shells can be utilized for buttons, it follows that a local blank 
factory, using the shells where they were found would obtain an 
abundance of material. The loss occasioned by the stained portions 
of the shell would be more than offset by the saving in freight. 

MUSSELS OF THE CROW WING GROUP. 

The lakes connected with this group were once part of the great 
glacial lake Nicollet, which covered 1,500 square miles and drained 
southwest through the Crow Wing River into the Mississippi. This 
drainage, therefore, represents the original headwaters of the Missis- 
sippi River and was populated with mussels from that source. The 
center of the Crow Wing drainage is in Wadena County, from whence 
it extends north through the Fishhook River into Hubbard County 
and nearly up to the present headwaters of the Mississippi; west 
through Straight and Shell Rivers into Becker County; west also 
through Red Eye, Leaf, and Wing Rivers into Ottertail County, and 
south through Wing and Turtle Rivers into Todd County. 

There are very few lakes in this drainage and they are close to the 
headwaters of the various tributary rivers. Both the lakes and the 
rivers are shallow, with sand or gravel bottoms; the mussels thus far 
secured have been obtained with forks and rakes; there was no oppor- 
tunity to use a crowfoot dredge. The following table gives the 
distribution of the mussels in this group: 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 
Distribution op Mussels in Crow Wing Group. 



15 



Species. 



Stations. 



Shell 
River, 



Leaf 
River, 

Wadena. 



Fish- 
Hook 

River, 
Park 

Rapids. 



Crow 

Wing 

River, 

Motley. 



Lampsilis ligamentina (niucket) 

Lampsilis luteola (fat niucket) 

Lampsilis ventricosa (pocketbook) 

Lampsilis recta (black sand-shell) 

Anodonta pepiniana 

Anodonta grandis (floater) 

Anodontoides ferussacianus subcylindraceus . 

Strophitus edentulus (squaw-foot) 

Strophitus edentulus pavonius (squaw-foot) . 



As can be seen from this table, the mussels are quite evenly as well 
as universally distributed, and it may be said that they were also 
fairly abundant at every place examined. Hitherto the mussel 
fishermen have worked at only one locality in this drainage, the 
Shell River at Menahga, but the shells obtained here were so excep- 
tional in size and quality that they brought a high price, and many 
of them were exported to England and Germany. 

QUALITY OF SHELLS. 

The principal mussel of this drainage is the pocketbook, which 
attains a large size and has an exceptionally thick shell. It also 
shows a good luster, has a fine texture, and is free from stains. Con- 
sequently it ranks as a first-grade shell and will cut 100 gross of 20- 
line and 1,000 gross of 16-line buttons to the ton. 

The bottom of the river where these shells are obtained is covered 
with algae and water weeds to the depth of 12 to 18 inches, and the 
thicker the vegetation the more plentiful the mussels beneath it. 
Two men were actively working the Shell River at Twin Lakes near 
Menahga at the time of our visit, and we watched them rake off the 
algae and weeds and then dig into the underlying gravel and sand for 
the mussels. The latter are often buried to the depth of a foot or 
more. This is, at the least, a novel condition and one which, so far as 
is known, has not been reported from any other locality. 

The Anodontas were also very thick shelled, so thick as to be easily 
mistaken for fat muckets, and to cut a poor quality of buttons, 
Quite a large percentage of the black sand-shells had white nacre, 
and of course these made first-quality button shells. 



16 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

PEARLS. 

The slugs and small pearls from these shells run about 11 ounces 
to the ton of shells, which equals that of the Illinois River, is twice 
the average for the Cumberland River, and three times that for the 
Ohio. 

An ounce of these pearls and slugs was purchased and they have 
been carefully examined and compared with those from other locali- 
ties. In luster and general character they are considerably better 
than those from the Illinois and Ohio Rivers, but are not equal to the 
Wabash River output. 

One of the musselmen at Menahga showed us a large rosebud clus- 
ter of yellowish tint and the size of a small hickory nut, which was 
attached to the valve of a mucket near the posterior end. They also 
had several fine pearls, rather more than would be expected from the 
quantity of shells they had obtained. 

While conditions in the Crow Wing and its tributaries are excep- 
tionally fine, as is evidenced by the superior quality of the shells, and 
while there is an abundance of the right kinds of fish to serve as 
hosts, these advantages are more than offset by the very poor facilities 
for transportation. 

The rivers run through those portions of Wadena County which 
are the farthest removed from railroads, and not until we reach 
Motley in Morrison County do we find good railroad facilities. Even 
at Menahga the shells must be carted 5 miles over a very sandy road 
in order to reach a shipping point. The Shell River, however, will 
furnish gravid pocketbooks of exceptional size and quality to stock 
other rivers that happen to be more conveniently located. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

1 . One of the musselmen at Menahga suggested a way to overcome 
the lack of transportation facilities. A " wannigan" as he called it — 
that is, a sort of house boat — could be built and equipped with ma- 
chinery for sawing blanks at an expense not greatly, if at all, exceed- 
ing what it now costs ($300) to transport a single carload of shells 
from Menahga to the button factories. With this equipment it 
would be an easy thing to float down the Shell River into the Crow 
Wing, and down the latter into the Mississippi, using up the shells 
where they were found. The Crow Wing and its tributaries would 
supply enough material to keep such an outfit busy for several years. 
There would be no freight or transportation charges on the shells. 
Spotted shells, those with thin tips, and the white-nacred sand shells 
could be utilized along with the others, and when the work was 
finished the boat and its outfit would bring a very respectable portion 
of the original cost. 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 



17 



2. While the shipping facilities do not warrant artificial propa- 
gation in this drainage, such exceptional shells should not be 
allowed entirely to disappear before an earnest effort is made to 
introduce them in other localities. Here is a peculiarly fine parent 
stock which richly deserves protection and cultivation as a source 
from whence to derive propagation material. 

MUSSELS OF THE MISSISSIPPI GROUP. 

As would be expected, this is much the largest of the groups here 
considered, and includes all of the Mississippi River above the mouth 
of the Crow Wing River, together with the lakes and tributaries 
connected with it. This portion of the Mississippi is entirely post- 
glacial and has been formed since the disappearance of the glacial 
lake Nicollet. 

It drains Crow Wing County, the northern portions of Aitkin, Cass, 
and Hubbard Counties, and the southern portions of Itasca, Beltrami, 
and Clearwater Counties. All of these regions, but especially Itasca 
County, contain a large number of lakes, some of which, like Leech, 
Winnibigoshish, and Cass Lakes, are among the largest in the State. 
This region, of course, has been in constant communication with the 
Mississippi since the very beginning and hence has been stocked with 
samples of all the mussels found in that river above the Falls of 
St. Anthony. The following table gives the geographic distribution 
of these mussels : 

Distribution of Mussels in the Mississippi Group. 



Species. 


Missis- 
sippi 
River, 
Brainerd. 


Prairie 
River, 
Grand 
Rapids. 


Prairie 
Lake, 
Grand 
Rapids. 


Missis- 
sippi 

River, 
Wolf 

Lake. 


Missis- 
sippi 
River, 
below 
Bemidji. 


Missis- 
sippi 
River, 
Bemidji 
Lake. 


Missis- 
sippi 
River, 
above 
Bemidji. 










X 
X 

X 

X 
X 


X 
X 

X 

X 


X 




Lampsilia luteola (fat mucket) . 
Lampsilis ventricosa (pocket- 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 

X 
X 


X 


Lampsilis recta (black sand 
shell) 




X 
X 
X 




X 






X 
X 

X 


X 










Anodontoides ferussacianus 




X 




X 
X 

X 


X 










X 


Strophitus edentulus (squaw- 
foot) 














Strophitus edentulus pavonius 








X 




X 

















The poverty of specimens at Brainerd is explained by the fact that 
we could only examine the river for a short distance above and 
below the city, and in this interval we did not find any mussel bed. 
Doubtless there are as many mussels in this portion of the Mississippi 
as elsewhere. 



18 MISSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

QUALITY OF SHELLS. 

The Lampsili8 0T muckel group are the only mussels in this drainage 
that possess any commercial value. While the pockctbook does not 
,il lain the size or the quality of those found in the Shell River, and 
the fa I muckel is not as thick at those found in Snake River and Pokeg- 
ama Lake, yet on the whole the shells are of medium size and good 
quality. They are very plentiful in many places; at the outlet of 
Lake Bemidji 3 tons were obtained in one week from a space only 
a few rods in length. These mussels are like those in the Shell River, 
in that they are buried deep. The man who collected them told us 
that he dug down into the sandy bottom 2 and 3 feet for them and 
found them nearly as thick as they could lie. 

The shells were remarkable for the small size of the cardinal teeth, 
indeed a few valves were found entirely destitute of teeth. 

Another excellent locality is up the Mississippi above Lake Irving. 
The conditions here are excellent and several carloads of shells could 
easily be obtained. The Schoolcraft River comes into the Mississippi 
here from Lakes Marquette and Plantagenet and both the river and 
the lakes are reported to be full of good mussels. 

The black sand-shells throughout this portion of the Mississippi 
have the hinge margin very strongly curved like those already de- 
scribed from the Red River and the Crow Wing drainage. 

The fat muckets here are not thickened like the shells from Pokeg- 
ama Lake, Pine County, and many of them are dwarfed after the 
manner of ordinary lake shells. In addition, those from Wolf Lake 
proved to be chalky and brittle when tested for button making, but 
those above Lake Bemidji were of medium size and furnished good 
button material. 

The Anodontas form but a very small percentage of the mussel 
fauna, nearly all the shells seen being some form of Lampsilis. The 
mussels in this region would all be obtained with a fork or a rake; 
there is no locality where the water is deep enough to use a crowfoot 
dredge. 

PEARLS. 

Quite a number of pearls and slugs have been obtained by pro- 
fessional pearlers, especially in the region about Bemidji. One beauti- 
fully colored pearl as large as a hazelnut had been purchased by a 
firm of jewelers in Bemidji just before our arrival there and was 
valued at $200. It weighed 21 grains, but had a slight blemish on 
one side. Some pearling has also been done in the Mississippi below 
the power dam, which is situated 11 miles down the river from Lake 
Bemidji. One pearl found here in July, 1912, was valued at $300. 
There was also a display of pearls and slugs and manufactured 



MUSSELS OF CENTEAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 19 

articles in the window of this jewelry store, all of which were stated to 
have been found in the vicinity. We saw several piles of shells that 
had been recently made by pearlers along the stretch of river above 
Bemidji, but did not find them anywhere else in this drainage. Evi- 
dently there has been very little search for pearls anywhere within 
this entire drainage. 

PROPAGATION. 

The conditions in most of the lakes and rivers of this group are 
excellent for propagation purposes. The water everywhere is clear 
and contains an abundance of lime; the bottom is almost universally 
composed of hard sand and gravel; there is nowhere any surfeit of 
algae or aquatic vegetation, and there is apparently an abundance of 
food. 

At Leech Lake, which, next to Red Lake, is the largest body of 
fresh water in the State, the outlet is muddy and full of weeds, and 
is reported to contain nothing but very thin-shelled floaters or paper 
shells. But the lake itself presents ideal conditions, and a small 
river which runs into it on the south shore out of Lake Linda is reported 
by a mussel fisherman to be full of thick shells for the mile of its 
course. The same fisherman said that Little Bay River, which 
enters the lake on the west shore, contains no commercial mussels 
from Leech Lake up to Laura Lake, but from there up to Little 
Bay Lake is full of them. 

Lake Winnibigoshish was formerly a shallow mud lake, but its 
surface was raised 14 feet by a dam across the outlet. It would 
furnish a favorable locality for the introduction of the three-ridge, 
blue-point, washboard, and similar mud-loving species. 

Cass Lake, Long Lake, and Wolf Lake are also very favorably 
situated, and all three, as well as the intervening portions of the 
Mississippi River which connects them, contain good bottom mate- 
rial. The conditions here are similar to those on the Snake River 
in the St. Croix drainage, and would be particularly well suited 
to the thick-shelled fat muckets. 

The Mississippi flows through Lake Bemidji and Irving Lake to 
Beltrami County, and here again the conditions appear very pro- 
pitious for the propagation of the fat muckets. 

At Pokegama Lake in Itasca County there are long stretches of 
sandy beaches and numerous sand bars, which, combined with 
something of a current flowing through the lake, would favor the 
introduction of the yellow or slough sand-shells. This lake is 14 
miles in length, but is quite narrow, and is made up of a succession 
of long arms and bays surrounded by fairly high land. A dam was 
placed across the outlet about 8 years ago, which raised the water 
in the lake 10 feet, and which effectually prevents any fish from 
entering the lake out of the Mississippi River. 



20 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

At Prairie Lake, 6 miles north of Grand Rapids, the water is 
considerably discolored with iron brought down by the Prairie 
River from the Mesabi Iron Range. This iron does not appear to 
affect the mussel fauna at all, since they are neither stunted nor 
discolored. But thousands of logs are run down the Prairie River, 
and the bottom of both the river and much of the lake is covered 
so thickly with fragments of bark that no mussel can live in it. 

It is hardly necessary to add that all these lakes, the Mississippi 
itself, and its tributaries are full of just the right kind of fish to 
serve as hosts. Furthermore, Walker, Cass Lake, Bemidji, and 
Grand Rapids are very conveniently situated for propagation work, 
and are in easy railroad communication with all other parts of the 
State. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

1. As noted under the Red River group, suitable passage should 
be provided for fish around the dams at the outlet of Lakes Pokegama 
and Winnibigoshish, and the large power dam 11 miles below Lake 
Bemidji. These last two are across the Mississippi, and surely that 
river ought never to be closed to the passage of fish, to say nothing 
about the mussels. 

2. The farther the source of supply is removed from the button 
factory the greater is the cost of transporting the shells. Therefore, 
in a city like Bemidji, forming a convenient center, the establish- 
ment of a local factory for sawing blanks can not be too strongly 
recommended. 

3. This is not the best locality for trying the experiment of intro- 
ducing commercial species of mussels into some of the Minnesota 
lakes. But after such an experiment has been made a thorough suc- 
cess, there are large and well adapted lakes here in which artificial 
propagation Would undoubtedly yield profitable returns. 

MUSSELS OF THE ISOLATED LAKES. 
LAKE PEPIN. 

This so-called lake is really a simple widening of the Mississippi 
River just below Red Wing. The bottom is of fairly coarse gravel 
mixed with some mud, there is very little current, and the water 
varies from 6 or 8 to 12 or 15 feet in depth. This locality has not 
been fished for mussels until within a few years, but at the time of our 
visit there were 100 clamming outfits along the east shore of the lake, 
and they were averaging more than 200 pounds apiece per day. 

An examination of the piles of shells collected by these fishermen 
yielded examples of the following species: Lampsilis luteola, recta, 
fallaciosa, and alata, Vnio gibbosus, Strophitus edentulus, Obovaria 
reflexa, and Quadrula plicata, undiilata, and pustulosa. 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 21 

The culls were mostly razorbacks, spikes, such of the black sand 
shells as have a pink nacre, and a few floaters. By count about half 
of the commercial shells obtained are fat muckets (Juteola), while 
by weight they form only 40 per cent of the entire catch. 

A large number of fine pearls have been found here, nearly all of 
which come from the luteolas. One of these found just before our 
visit sold for $300, and another for $150. The fishermen reported 
the pearls not as numerous as during the previous year. They also 
reported another curious fact, that shells with pearls run along cer- 
tain ridges on the lake bottom and are not found in the hollows along 
either side of the ridge. 

In view of these facts it would seem advisable to propagate arti- 
ficially the local commercial species, especially these thick-shelled 
luteolas, and to use this locality as a source from which to introduce 
desirable species into other lakes and rivers. 

Mr. Andy Noel, a shell buyer for the Wisconsin Button Co. at 
La Crosse, took us around the lake and showed us every courtesy 
in the way of obtaining samples and data. Our sincere thanks are 
hereby acknowledged for these kind attentions. 

PLEASANT AND CLEARWATER LAKES. 

These lakes are situated near Annandale, in Wright County, and 
are connected by the Clearwater River with the Mississippi. Pleasant 
Lake, right in the edge of the town, is 2 J miles long and 1 mile wide, 
with a gravelly and sandy bottom, comparatively free from vegeta- 
tion. Shells of the pocketbook (ventricosa) and Anodonta pepiniana 
were obtained here. The former proved to be excellent button 
material, but was very scarce. It was reported, however, to have 
been abundant during the previous year, but had been killed or driven 
into deeper water by the ice. 

Clearwater Lake is 4 miles from town and is much larger than 
Pleasant Lake, being 7 J miles long and 1J miles wide. The south- 
eastern end of the lake is wider and deeper and has rocky shores; 
the northwestern half is narrower, shallower, and so lined with reeds 
and rushes that it is impossible to get anywhere near the shore in 
most places. 

The fat mucket (luteola) was found here, in addition to the pocket- 
book and A. pepiniana. Both the mucket and the pocketbook 
are large and thick and make excellent button material. 

The Clearwater River flows through the lake and was reported 
to be full of fine shells. This lake and river would yield a carload 
of first grade mussels, which could be readily floated down to the 
town of Clearwater, on the bank of the Mississippi, and shipped from 
there. Also the local species might well be propagated at the lower 
end of the lake and in the river, while in the muddier bottom at the 



22 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

upper end of the Lake it is probable that some of the pig-toes (Quad- 
iii/u | would thrive well. 

1 1 La very doubtful whether any recommendations can be made for 
Pleasant Lake. 

PULASKI, BUFFALO, RICE, AND KORONIS LAKES. 

These four lakes are connected with the Crow River, but the out- 
lets are very small streams, and those of the first two are open only 
during spring freshets. 

Lake Pulaski is nearly circular in outline, about 1£ miles in diam- 
eter, with a bottom composed of gravel and sand, covered with a 
heavy growth of Chara, Potomageton, and algae. 

Buffalo Lake is 2 J miles long and 1 mile wide, with a maximum 
depth of 50 to 60 feet. There are two shallow bars across the center 
of the lake which are covered with rushes, and the bottom is firm 
sand and gravel, with very little vegetation. 

Rice Lake, 6 miles northeast of Paynesville in Stearns County, is 3 
miles long by 2 miles wide. The bottom is composed of much coarser 
gravel than in Buffalo Lake, and there is a little more Chara and 
algae. The north fork of the Crow River runs into the southwest 
corner of this lake and empties out again within a short distance. 

Koronis Lake, 2 miles southeast of Paynesville, is 3^ miles long 
and 2 miles wide, with a very irregular and precipitous shore. The 
bottom contains much more sand than gravel and the vegetation 
is very limited except at the inlet and outlet. 

The fat mucket (luteola) and Anodonta pepiniana were found in all 
four lakes, and in addition Anodontoides ferussacianus modestus was 
found in Buffalo and Koronis Lakes. Most of these muckets are 
dwarfed, as is usual in a lake, and thin-shelled, but those from Rice 
Lake are full size, of good thickness and have a fair luster, and were 
classed as first-grade shells. 

The Anodontas were found in regular windrow's 10 or 15 feet from 
shore, and outside of them were the luteolas, in water shallow enough 
to obtain them by wading. The epidermis of these luteolas was a 
dark straw-yellow, and was highly polished like that of the same 
species from Lake Henry (p. 11). 

The comparative paucity of shejls in these lakes is easily explained 
by the fact that fish can not run into them freely at the time of year 
when they are infested with glochidia. The conditions in Buffalo 
Lake are excellent for sand-shells and species which frequent shallow 
bars. The thick-shelled luteolas from Pokegama Lake (Pine County), 
or Lake Pepin would undoubtedly thrive in Rice and Koronis Lakes. 
Lake Pulaski is not worth stocking with any kind of shells. 

Each of these lakes contains an abundance of perch, bass, sunfish, 
crappies, and wall-eyed pike, which could be seined with little trouble 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 23 

and would furnish sufficient hosts for the glochidia; therefore, in case 
the artificial stocking of lakes proves a success, three of these lakes 
present good opportunities for work on commercial species. 

SAUK LAKE AND SAUK RIVER. 

Sauk Lake, 3 miles above Sauk Center in Stearns County, is 7 
miles long and f mile wide, and is thus little more than a widening of 
the river. It is partly natural and partly artificial, produced by a 
dam across the river at Sauk Center. The bottom is composed of 
sand and coarse gravel, covered with a profuse growth of algae, 
Chara, Potomageton, and other aquatic vegetation. The only mus- 
sels found in the lake were the fat mucket (luteola), Anodontoides 
ferussacianus modestus and Anodonta pepiniana. The muckets are 
thin-shelled, dwarfed, and covered with a large amount of marl pos- 
teriorly. The epidermis is honey-yellow in color, highly polished, 
and faintly rayed! The two floaters, of course, possess no commercial 
value, and were found only in limited numbers. 

The river was examined below the mill dam at Sauk Center, and 
again 3 miles above St. Cloud. The fat mucket (luteola), the pocket- 
book (ventricosa) , and the black sand-shell (recta) were found in abun- 
dance at both places, and in addition near St. Cloud there were some 
ordinary muckets (ligamentina) and Anodontoides. 

The fat muckets were of river size, and a small percentage were 
thick enough for buttons, the ordinary muckets were of large size 
and thick-shelled, but were somewhat spotted; the pocketbooks were 
exceptionally large, much flatter than usual, thick, and with a good 
luster, but they were also spotted, and on being tested proved to be 
brittle, thus rendering practically worthless material that to all 
appearance seemed to be as good as that from the Shell River at 
Menahga. The only thing worthy of comment here is the lack of a 
suitable fishway around the dam at Sauk Center. The effect of this 
is seen in the fact that although the pocketbook was common just 
below the dam, not one could be found in the 3 miles of river above 
the dam. 

LAKE MINNEWASKA, LAKE OSAKIS, AND BATTLE LAKE. 

Lake Minnewaska, situated at Glenwood, near the center of Pope 
County, is 8 miles long and 2 miles wide. The bottom is of sand 
and rather fine gravel, with numerous shallow sand bars along the 
southwestern shore. The average depth of the water is from 12 to 
15 feet, and while there is an interrupted fringe of rushes along the 
shore line the lake itself is exceptionally clear and free from aquatic 
vegetation. There is no outlet except during very high water, when 
a small stream overflows into the Chippewa River, which is a tribu- 
tary of the Minnesota River. 



24 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

The lake is fed by numerous Large springs in addition to several 
inlet streams, which drain the surrounding country. The lake con- 
tains an abundance of sunfish, perch, crappics, wall-eyes, and bass. 
On the northwest shore of the lake, within the city limits of Glenwood, 
there is a State fish hatchery under the supervision of Supt. J. A. 
Pinkerton. The water for the hatchery comes from one of the large 
springs that feed the lake, while a series of fishponds or aquaria are 
built in the lake along the shore. The lake was found to contain a 
great many mussels, which, however, possess no commercial value. 
These include the fat mucket (luteola), which is much dwarfed and 
thin-shelled, with an epidermis which erodes easily and turns dead 
white on exposure, three species of Anodonta, imbecillis, pepiniana, 
and benedictensis, and Anodontoides. The profusion of these mussels 
and the rapidity of their development show that there is an abun- 
dance of food in the lake. 

We find, therefore, that the temperature and depth of the water, 
the kind of bottom, the presence of numerous shallow sand bars, 
the freedom from aquatic vegetation, and the abundance of suitable 
food combine to make this lake an ideal one for the artificial propa- 
gation of mussels, particularly the Lampsilis group. And, as if to 
complete the requisites, here is a fish hatchery, in whose interests 
hundreds of bass and wall-eyes are seined out of the lake every 
spring. Along with the game fish which are used by the hatchery 
there are always taken in the seine a large number of sunfish and 
yellow perch which are simply thrown back into the lake. What 
could be simpler than to supply the hatchery with gravid mussels of 
some valuable commercial species and impregnate these sunfish and 
perch with the glochidia before they are returned to the lake ? Mani- 
festly tins is a rare opportunity for testing the possibilities of mussel 
propagation with almost no additional expense. The importance of 
such practical experimentation under the direction of skilled work- 
men can hardly be overestimated. 

While in Glenwood we were rendered great assistance and were 
shown many courtesies by the officials at the hatchery. One of 
them, Mr. John Dahl, took us around the lake, gave us many data, 
and explained the local conditions, with winch he was thoroughly 
conversant. Our sincere thanks are hereby returned to him and to 
the superintendent for these and many other favors. 

Lake Osakis, situated close to Osakis, in the southwestern corner 
of Todd County, is 10 miles long and 3 miles wide. The bottom, the 
depth of the water, the presence of sand bars, and the freedom from 
aquatic vegetation correspond exactly to those at Lake Mirmewaska. 
This lake also has no outlet except at very high water, and is a typical 
shallow lake, such as are common in glaciated regions. 



MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 25 

There were found here the fat mucket (luteola), Anodonta pepiniana 
and Anodontoides. Some of the muckets were dwarfed and thin- 
shelled, but a small percentage were full-size and had moderately 
thick shells. 

Battle Lake is in the southern central portion of Ottertail County 
and empties into the Red River. It is 6 miles long by 3 miles wide. 
It has a bottom of sand and gravel sparsely covered with aquatic 
vegetation, and the water is very clear and cold. The fat muckets 
here were small and dwarfed and approached very closely the species 
known as rosacea. They were easily eroded, and the epidermis on 
exposed portions of the shell became absolutely snow-white. 

In addition there were two species of Anodonta, viz, pepiniana and 
Jcennicotti, and Anodontoides. All of these shells, including the 
muckets, were worthless from a commercial standpoint. 

Neither Battle Lake nor Lake Osakis has a fish hatchery, but other- 
wise they possess as favorable conditions as those at Lake Minne- 
waska, and are as conveniently situated. Consequently, if the experi- 
ments at Lake Minnewaska proved successful, it would be an easy 
matter to repeat them in these two lakes. 

SUMMARY. 

1 . Fat muckets (Lampsilis luteola) with exceptionally thick shells, 
and making first-grade button material, are plentiful in Pokegama and 
Cross Lakes, and in the Snake River, and also in Lake Pepin. They 
are not found in any of the other lakes or rivers which were examined. 

2. Pocketbooks (L. ventricosa) of unusual size and luster are 
abundant in the Shell River and Twin Lakes near Menahga and else- 
where throughout the Crow Wing drainage and in the Sauk River. 
The Crow Wing shells are of superior quality and command a high 
price. Those from the Sauk River are so brittle as to render them 
worthless. 

3. Muckets (L. ligamentina) are common in the Crow Wing and 
its tributaries and in the upper Mississippi. They are the ordinary 
good button material that is common in this species. 

4. Black sand-shells (L. recta) are fairly abundant in all the rivers 
visited. Nearly all have purple nacre, are very thick, and make 
excellent material for novelties. The only exceptions are the white- 
nacred ones found at Menahga, which are excellent button shells. 

5. Pig-toes (Quadrula) are found only in the St. Croix drainage and 
in the Red River. There are none in the Mississippi above the Falls 
of St. Anthony, nor in any of the other rivers and lakes visited. Some 
of the three-ridges were badly spotted, but all of the other pig-toes 
were of first quality and would make good button material. 

6. Bemidji, in Beltrami County, is the best center from which to 
work the upper Mississippi. A blank factory situated there could 



26 MUSSELS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 

easily find material to keep it running for several years. Phelps, in 
Ottertail County, would make an equally good center for the Red 
River. 

7. There arc two of the recommendations which possess especial 
importance: First, to preserve by artificial propagation the types of 
shells shown in the muckets of Lake Pokegama and the pocketbooks 
of Menahga; second, to improve the opportunity so favorably offered 
at Lake Minnewaska and thoroughly try out by experiment the 
introduction of valuable commercial species into lakes that are 
specially suited to them. 

o 



U IL IL 




N B I A 



KANKAKEE RIVER BASIN 

INDIANA AND ILLINOIS 

PEARL MUSSEL INVESTIGATION 

1909 

U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

Collecting stations shown thus: \_/ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



II II II II I II I III llll ll ! 

002 903 658 5 



